Unfortunately...

... I've had a little bit of bad news job wise so I won't be posting for a while as I need to focus on other things. I'm sure I'll be back with more thrifty bits before you know it though! TN xxx

Sprucing up your home

Ok, so we're all struggling pennies wise at the moment but spring is well and truly on it's way and I always feel the need to decorate at this time of year! Here are some cheap and easy ways of sprucing up your home by decorating the humble dining room chair, click here for the original post:

There are 25 in total! Enjoy! TN xxx 

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BEAUTIFUL decoration

I love making things. I especially love making things that look as beautiful as THIS:

Amazing, right?!! Click here for the original post and how to. I think I may make several, tie some thread around the stalk and pop around my home :-) Gorgeous! TN xxx

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free tags...

I have loads of birthdays and occasions coming up soon and thought that these adorable (and stylish) tags would come in handy (as you all know I love a good freebie)! If you don't have coloured thread, ribbon, wool or raffia would also look super:

If you fancy some without lettering, click here :-) Add beads or old jewellery to give an expensive feel without breaking the bank:

Happy Wrapping! TN xxx

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Wednesday DIY

Fancy a bit of  furnishing DIY on the cheap? Take a peek at this lovely lampshade! It looks really easy to make and better yet, can be made from items you probably already have in your home! Click here for the full tutorial.

TN xxx

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Pancake day!

It's pancake day (also known as Shrove Tuesday) which is the last day before Lent. Lent is traditionally a time of abstinence so pancakes are eaten the day before as a last indulgence and to use up ingredients which shouldn't be eaten during this time.

I'm having my family over tonight for a meal which will be finished off perfectly with these yummy, fluffy pancakes, why not have a go yourself? http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fluffy-pancakes-2/

I hope you have a great night! TN xxx ps. today's tip is just in case things go wrong... !

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Walking free

This weekend I was lucky enough to enjoy a beautiful walk in Windsor Great Park; not only did I giggle at squabbling pheasants and admire very regal swans but I was incredible fortunate to see (and get quite close to) around 150 deer strutting around the park grounds! It lead me to search for yet more walks and I found this great site with literally thousands of walks and free downloadable maps: http://www.walkinginengland.co.uk/index.php 

perfect for a thrifty afternoon; I must remember to wrap up warm in this cold weather! TN xxx

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Bridesmaid duties

I've been lucky enough to have been asked to be a bridesmaid at my step brother's wedding! Lucky me! I have been given the duty of finding shoes and shrugs for all the bridesmaids and when searching for such items, I came across this site about having a wedding on a budget.

The author of the site claims her wedding cost £5k which is well below the British average cost of £22k! I'll definitely be keeping this site in mind if I ever get hitched! TN xxx

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Happy Valentine's Day!

Oooooh, Valentines Day! Here are my top 3 Valentines Freebies!

http://theinspiredroom.net/diy/ruffled-book-page-heart-valentines/

http://www.nannys-a.co.uk/free-stuff

http://www.creaturecomfortsblog.com/home/2008/1/28/love-isnt-love-until-you-give-it-away.html

Enjoy celebrating with your loved ones! :-) TN xxx

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French toast

Hey there! Yesterday I posted about cheap recipe ideas and thought I'd share something from my sister blog, Nanny S-A. It also links quite nicely to yesterday's tip about what to do with stale bread; you could always make this!

The site where this is posted is called They Draw and Cook, you can find hundreds of beautifully illustrated recipes for all sorts of edible and drinkable delights :-) TN xxx

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Cheap recipe ideas

I love cooking as I'm sure you may have guessed from some of the tips I've posted in the past! One of the best sites I use for new ideas or indeed a twist on an old favourite is the BBC Good Food site. They have a wonderful feature entitled Cheap Eat Recipes which I'd like to share with you. YUMMY!

Mmmm... lots to choose from :-) how about spiced glazed pineapple with cinnamon to start?! TN xxx

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Recycled storage solution

Hiya folks,

I came across this impressive but also very attractive (especially considering its made from old paper packaging!) basket tutorial and simply had to share it :-) Click here for details.

Doing the same but with old wrapping paper or paper bags instead would make them even more attractive! TN xxx

Alternative photo "frame"

Last year I bought a beautiful driftwood garland for my bathroom wall as I love bringing a bit of nature back into my home. When flicking through various blogs etc, I found THIS which I think will match beautifully. I thought, if  I'm going to put it in my bathroom also, I'd hang my bath poofy things, sponges and clean flannels from it instead.

Happy Monday all :-) TN xxx

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Spread the love

Valentine's Day is coming up and even if you're celebrating as a singleton this year (there's nothing wrong with sending cards to the family and friends you love!) why not spread the love with this origami garland?

There's also a multicoloured heart garland tutorial if you fancy it! Just click here :-) You could also make just one of these cute hearts, stick a magnet to it and give it to a loved one to pop on their fridge. TN xxx

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Using up leftovers

We've all done it; cooking far too much than you could possibly eat in one sitting. But what if you don't fancy having the dregs for dinner the following evening? Love food Hate waste has loads of brilliant ideas on using up those odds and ends and making something just as delicious as the predecessor!

I loved the sound of the Greek Cheese, spinach and ham pie in particular, yum! TN xxx

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Grumpy

I have been stuck in a terrible mood all week and am only just feeling better now so sorry for my lack of thrifty posts. My mood prompted me to seek out ways in which to make myself happier. I know this isn't the usual Thrifty Nana post but all points are FREE to do (ha ha) and could help lift the spirits of any of you out there suffering during these crunchy credit times! Action for Happiness offers these ten points to focus on:

I took particular interest in the "resilience" section: We often cannot choose what happens to us, but in principle we can choose our own attitude to what happens. I am fortunate that nothing has happened per se, I just need to focus on moving onwards and upwards.


Hopefully I'll be in a better mood soon! TN xxx

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Entertainment

Urrghhh... I am pretty fed up of how little cash I have! I'm having to cancel plans, stop any spending and stay in :-( It's all worthwhile when I think that I'll be credit card free at the end of the month so I guess being fed up is a small price to pay!

Since I've been staying in so much, I've been entertaining myself with lots of internet tv! WOOP! Here are a few FREE faves:
1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/tv
2. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/4od
3. http://www.free-tv-video-online.me/
4. http://www.blinkbox.com/

ENJOY! TN xxx

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Eek, one week until pay day and I need a fashion fix!

So, it's only just over half way through the month and I literally haven't got two pennies to rub together! The weekend is nearly here and I feel the need to update my wardrobe somehow to make it more, well, weekend-y (!) without spending anything... CUE SHOE EMBELLISHMENT TUTORIAL! This glorious blog post teaches you how to make shoe clips to update any pair of pumps or heels using PAPERCLIPS (why didn't I think of that sooner?) as the main attachment device!

I think they were intended for the Christmas period but I'll definitely be using this idea throughout the year. I've got lots of ribbon and spare cloth which I think will be perfect for this! TN xxx

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Old tights (pantyhose if you're American)

I'm not having the best week... First my camera breaks, then I get a warning light come up on my car, then my phone stops working and to top it all off, I get a ladder in my tights! It got me thinking though, there MUST be a use for old tights so I did a teeny bit of research and found this; 20 extraordinary uses for old pantyhose! My favourite from the list is no.14 but none of these top this idea:

How to make Grass Heads 

1. Cut off the legs of an old pair of tights

2. Put a spoonful of grass seed and then a large handful of compost in each leg

3. Tie off as tight as you can

4. Pull out a section of the tights (with some compost in it) and tie with thread to make the nose

5. Add buttons or stickers for eyes

6. Place in a cup of water on a windowsill and keep damp

7. Watch your Grass Heads grow!

I used to love these when I was younger! TN xxx

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A free (ish) gift you'd actually want to give...

Hello! I came across this article today about making a beautiful hanging basket with just a few essentials for around £10. I think I could make this in an even more thrifty fashion by using a bowl/vase from a charity shop and perhaps a plant from the "reduced" section in a garden centre/super market (often the plants there need just a little extra love and attention!). Click here for the tutorial!

Just beautiful!

TN xxx

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I need a hair cut...

This morning I discovered that my hair was in good need of a cut but my fringe in particular looked quite ridiculous.  I decided to cut just the fringe myself as I haven't got the time (let alone the money!) to go to a hair dressers! I kind of wish I'd seen these tutorials beforehand as my fringe is quite short now... woops! Maybe I could give the layering one a go?!

Fringe cutting (they call them "bangs" which I've always thought was weird):

Layering hair:

Hope you have a pleasant weekend! 
TN xxx

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Free food...

Hey all,

After having a conversation with a colleague yesterday on how pleasant it would be to "just live off the land like our ancestors did", I was reminded of a documentary I'd seen on a lady who called herself an "urban forager". Instead of buying all her food from boring old supermarkets, she'd find alternatives growing within the town she lived in! I couldn't find a link to said documentary but I did find this site instead! http://www.eatweeds.co.uk/

I'm not sure I quite fancy eating snails from my garden (apparently the big brown garden snails were introduced to Britain by the Romans purely for eating but a few escaped an multiplied!) but I think I may give this Dandelion Salad recipe a go when spring arrives. Is that weird?

TN xxx

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Cleaning... and DIY

Hiya!

So, as the title may suggest I spent most of the weekend cleaning, clearing and generally getting those niggling jobs done around the house. I like to comfort myself with the fact that although I spent quite a bit of time doing said things, I saved a bit of cash doing them myself rather than getting a handy man in!

My most proud achievement was fitting a new blind in my kitchen. I know it may sound odd for a girl in her 20's (ok, in her late 20's... when did that happen?!), but a few of years ago I asked for tools as a birthday present. They've been invaluable and helped me do so much on my own for a fraction of the cost of getting a handyman in. A decent set of screwdrivers costs about £30 whereas a handyman would charge that for about 20mins work! I know that not everyone is cut out for the DIY game but you don't know unless you give it a try! B&Q do a handy set of online guides for those of you who are tempted; just click here!

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Welcome!

Hello and welcome to thrifty nana, a shiny new blog dedicated to sharing simple tips and knowledge on making your pennies go further! 

I'm fortunate enough to know some pretty resourceful people who have really helped me during the credit crunch but I've also got a few ideas of my own which I'd simply love to share with you. I'm hoping this blog will inspire and enable more people to make a real difference to what remains in their purses and wallets at the end of the month :-)

Stay tuned for more ramblings and chat, speak soon! 

TN xxx

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